Strategy vs. BizOps vs. Chief of Staff: Which One Actually Fits Your Skillset?

Every consultant I talk to says some version of this: "I'm targeting strategy, operations, or chief of staff roles."

That's like saying "I'm looking for an apartment with a kitchen, a bathroom, or a bedroom." Those are three fundamentally different things that happen to live under the same roof.

Strategy, BizOps, and Chief of Staff roles attract the same consultants because they all sound strategic, cross-functional, and intellectually interesting. But they're wildly different in what you actually do day-to-day, who you work with, and what success looks like.

I've seen consultants take Strategy roles and realize they hate it because there's no execution. I've seen others take BizOps roles and burn out because it's 80% operations firefighting and 20% strategy. I've seen Chief of Staff roles that are glorified executive assistants and others that are legitimate second-in-command positions.

The names don't tell you enough. You need to understand what these roles actually are, how they differ, and which one matches your consulting skillset and what you're optimizing for.

Let me break it down.

What a Strategy Role Actually Is (And What It Isn't)

When consultants say "I want to do strategy," they usually mean "I want to do the same type of work I did in consulting, but internally."

That's not wrong, but it's incomplete. Strategy roles vary wildly depending on company stage, industry, and reporting structure.

The Core of Strategy Roles

Strategy roles exist to answer big, ambiguous questions that don't fit neatly into any one function:

• Should we enter a new market?

• How do we compete against this new competitor?

• What's our pricing strategy for this product?

• Should we build, buy, or partner for this capability?

• How do we allocate resources across business units?

You're building frameworks, running analyses, modeling scenarios, and making recommendations to executives. You're advising, not executing.

Sound familiar? It should. It's consulting, but internal.

What Strategy Roles Look Like at Different Stages

At startups (pre-Series B):

Strategy roles often don't exist. The founders are doing strategy. If there is a strategy role, it's usually a jack-of-all-trades position covering strategy, operations, fundraising, and whatever else needs doing. It's less "pure strategy" and more "strategic generalist."

At Series B/C companies:

This is where real strategy roles emerge. You're working with the CEO or a C-suite exec on growth strategy, market entry, competitive positioning, or M&A. You're building board decks, running strategic planning processes, and advising on big decisions.

The work is closest to consulting. You're doing deep analysis, presenting to executives, and driving strategic decisions. But you're also starting to own execution (coordinating with product, sales, marketing to implement the strategy).

At public companies or large corporates:

Strategy roles become more specialized. There's corporate strategy (company-wide strategic planning, M&A, portfolio management), business unit strategy (strategy for a specific division), and product strategy (roadmap and competitive positioning for products).

The work is more structured, more political, and slower-paced than at startups or growth-stage companies. You're building five-year plans, running annual planning cycles, and coordinating across layers of management.

What Consulting Skills Transfer to Strategy Roles

What transfers well:

• Structuring ambiguous problems

• Building frameworks and analyses

• Communicating to executives

• Synthesizing complex information

• Driving strategic decisions

What doesn't transfer as well:

• Deep execution (strategy roles are still mostly advisory)

• Long-term ownership (you hand off to product, ops, or sales to execute)

• Team management (many strategy roles are IC or small-team roles)

Best fit for consultants who:

• Love the analytical and strategic work from consulting

• Don't need to own execution day-to-day

• Are comfortable advising rather than operating

• Want to work closely with senior leadership

• Prefer depth on strategic problems over operational firefighting

What a BizOps Role Actually Is (And Why It's Not Just Strategy)

BizOps (Business Operations) is the most misunderstood role in this trio. Consultants think it's "strategy plus execution." That's partially true, but it's more accurate to say: BizOps is operations with strategic elements, not strategy with operational elements.

The Core of BizOps Roles

BizOps exists to make the business run better. You're the person who:

• Builds operational processes (sales ops, rev ops, go-to-market ops)

• Owns key metrics and dashboards

• Runs cross-functional projects (launching a new market, scaling a sales team, optimizing pricing)

• Solves operational bottlenecks (why isn't sales hitting quota? why is customer churn increasing?)

• Supports the exec team with analysis and decision-making

You're 60-70% execution and operations, 30-40% strategy. You're not just advising, you're building, implementing, and owning outcomes.

What BizOps Roles Look Like at Different Stages

At startups (Series A/B):

BizOps is a catch-all role. You're doing sales ops, revenue ops, product ops, and whatever else the founders need. You're setting up CRM systems, building dashboards, running growth experiments, and coordinating go-to-market launches.

It's scrappy, fast-paced, and high-impact. But it's also chaotic. You're firefighting more than strategizing.

At Series B/C companies:

BizOps becomes more structured. You might own a specific functional area (sales ops, marketing ops, product ops) or you might be a generalist BizOps lead supporting the CEO or COO.

You're running cross-functional initiatives, building scalable processes, and supporting strategic decisions with data and analysis. It's a mix of strategy and execution, but execution is the majority of the work.

At public companies or large corporates:

BizOps roles become specialized. There's Sales Ops, RevOps, Marketing Ops, Product Ops. Each one owns specific processes, metrics, and systems for that function.

The work is more structured, more tool-heavy (Salesforce, Tableau, analytics platforms), and more focused on optimization than building from scratch.

What Consulting Skills Transfer to BizOps Roles

What transfers well:

• Structuring ambiguous operational problems

• Building dashboards and tracking metrics

• Running cross-functional projects

• Driving process improvements

• Communicating with both executives and operators

What doesn't transfer as well:

• Deep strategic thinking (BizOps is more tactical than strategic)

• Pure advisory work (you own execution, not just recommendations)

• High-level board presentations (you're supporting execs, not presenting to the board)

Best fit for consultants who:

• Want to own execution, not just strategy

• Like building processes and systems

• Are comfortable with operational firefighting

• Want to see immediate impact from their work

• Don't mind getting into the weeds on metrics, dashboards, and tools

What a Chief of Staff Role Actually Is (And Why It's the Most Variable)

Chief of Staff is the most confusing role in this trio because it means completely different things at different companies.

At some companies, Chief of Staff is a high-leverage role where you're the CEO's right hand, running key initiatives and making strategic decisions. At other companies, it's a glorified executive assistant role where you're scheduling meetings and taking notes.

You need to understand which version you're walking into.

The Core of Chief of Staff Roles (When Done Right)

A real Chief of Staff role is a force multiplier for an executive (usually the CEO, sometimes a C-suite leader). You're:

• Running strategic projects the exec doesn't have time to own

• Acting as a sounding board for big decisions

• Coordinating cross-functional initiatives

• Representing the exec in meetings they can't attend

• Managing special projects (fundraising, M&A, board prep, organizational changes)

• Sometimes managing the exec's leadership team

You're not doing strategy. You're not doing operations. You're doing whatever the exec needs done that doesn't fit into anyone else's job.

The best version of Chief of Staff is: strategic generalist with real decision-making authority.

The worst version of Chief of Staff is: executive assistant with a fancy title.

What Chief of Staff Roles Look Like at Different Stages

At startups (pre-Series B):

Chief of Staff roles are rare at this stage because the founding team is small and everyone's doing everything. If the role exists, it's usually because the CEO needs help coordinating as the company scales from 20 to 100 people.

You're wearing multiple hats: strategy, operations, fundraising support, team coordination, whatever needs doing. It's high-leverage but chaotic.

At Series B/C companies:

This is where Chief of Staff roles become real roles. The CEO is overwhelmed managing a leadership team of 8-12 people, scaling to 200-500 employees, and dealing with board dynamics.

You're the person who:

• Runs strategic initiatives the CEO can't personally drive

• Facilitates leadership team meetings and follows up on action items

• Coordinates cross-functional projects (new market entry, organizational redesign, M&A integration)

• Represents the CEO in key meetings

• Acts as a trusted advisor and sounding board

The role is high-visibility, high-leverage, and intellectually diverse. But it's also political, ambiguous, and dependent on your relationship with the CEO.

At public companies or large corporates:

Chief of Staff roles become more structured. You might be Chief of Staff to a CEO, but you're also likely Chief of Staff to a business unit president or division head.

The work is more about coordination, communication, and execution than pure strategy. You're running leadership team processes, managing organizational changes, and ensuring alignment across functions.

What Consulting Skills Transfer to Chief of Staff Roles

What transfers well:

• Structuring ambiguous, high-stakes problems

• Communicating with executives

• Running cross-functional projects

• Adaptability across different types of work

• Confidently representing senior leadership

What doesn't transfer as well:

• Deep functional expertise (you're a generalist, not a specialist)

• Independent decision-making (you're an extension of the exec, not a decision-maker yourself)

• Predictable scope (your work changes week-to-week based on what the exec needs)

Best fit for consultants who:

• Love variety and don't want to specialize

• Are comfortable with ambiguity and changing priorities

• Want to work closely with an executive and learn how they operate

• Don't need credit or visibility (you're often behind the scenes)

• Are good at reading political dynamics and navigating complex organizations

The Real Differences That Matter

Let me cut through the job descriptions and give you the real differences:

Difference 1: Strategy Advises, BizOps Executes, Chief of Staff Does Both

Strategy: You build the plan, present it to the exec team, and hand it off to the operators to execute. You might stay involved to track progress, but you don't own execution.

BizOps: You build the plan AND you execute it. You're accountable for outcomes, not just recommendations.

Chief of Staff: You do whatever the exec needs. Sometimes that's strategy. Sometimes that's execution. Sometimes it's coordination. The scope changes based on the exec's priorities.

Difference 2: Strategy is Deep, BizOps is Broad, Chief of Staff is Variable

Strategy: You go deep on strategic questions. You spend weeks or months on one big problem (market entry, competitive response, pricing strategy).

BizOps: You go broad across operational challenges. You're juggling 5-10 projects simultaneously (sales ops, metrics dashboards, go-to-market launches, process improvements).

Chief of Staff: Your depth vs. breadth depends on the exec. Some Chiefs of Staff go deep on strategic initiatives. Others are coordinators managing breadth across the leadership team.

Difference 3: Strategy is Cerebral, BizOps is Tactical, Chief of Staff is Political

Strategy: Success is driven by analytical rigor and strategic insight. You win by being smart and having the best recommendations.

BizOps: Success is driven by execution and impact. You win by getting things done and improving operational metrics.

Chief of Staff: Success is driven by relationship with the exec and ability to navigate politics. You win by making the exec more effective and building trust across the leadership team.

Difference 4: Strategy Reports to VP/C-Suite, BizOps Reports to Ops/COO, Chief of Staff Reports to CEO

Strategy: Usually reports to VP of Strategy, Chief Strategy Officer, or CEO. You're in strategy meetings, board prep, and exec offsites.

BizOps: Usually reports to COO, VP of Operations, or a functional leader (VP Sales, VP Product). You're in operational reviews, metric deep-dives, and cross-functional project meetings.

Chief of Staff: Reports directly to an executive (usually CEO). You're in every meeting the exec is in, plus meetings they send you to represent them.

How to Choose Which Role Fits You

Here's how to figure out which of these roles actually matches your consulting background and what you're optimizing for:

Choose Strategy If:

✓ You loved the analytical, strategic work in consulting and want to keep doing it

✓ You're comfortable advising rather than owning execution

✓ You want to work on high-level, complex strategic problems

✓ You're okay with slower pace and less immediate impact

✓ You want to work closely with C-suite executives on strategic decisions

Red flags that Strategy might not fit:

✗ You're frustrated that your consulting recommendations never got executed

✗ You want to own outcomes and see your work compound over time

✗ You get bored easily and need variety in your day-to-day

Choose BizOps If:

✓ You want to own execution, not just strategy

✓ You like building processes, systems, and operational infrastructure

✓ You're comfortable with firefighting and tactical work

✓ You want to see immediate impact from your work

✓ You don't mind getting into the weeds on dashboards, metrics, and tools

Red flags that BizOps might not fit:

✗ You hate operational details and want to stay at the strategic level

✗ You get frustrated when you're not working on "big picture" problems

✗ You need a lot of structure and don't like juggling multiple projects

Choose Chief of Staff If:

✓ You love variety and don't want to specialize in one function

✓ You're comfortable with ambiguity and changing priorities

✓ You want to learn how executives operate and make decisions

✓ You're good at reading people and navigating organizational politics

✓ You don't need credit or visibility for your work

Red flags that Chief of Staff might not fit:

✗ You want a clearly defined role with predictable scope

✗ You need ownership and don't like being an extension of someone else

✗ You want to build deep expertise in a specific function (strategy, ops, product)

✗ You're not naturally good at reading political dynamics

Questions to Ask in Interviews to Understand What the Role Really Is

Job descriptions lie. The only way to know what these roles actually are is to ask specific questions in interviews.

For Strategy Roles:

1. "What percentage of this role is strategy vs. execution?"

2. "Can you walk me through a recent strategic project and what happened after the recommendations were made?"

3. "Who owns execution of strategic initiatives? How involved does strategy stay?"

4. "What does a typical week look like for someone in this role?"

5. "How much of the role is analysis vs. presenting vs. coordinating execution?"

For BizOps Roles:

1. "What are the top 3-5 priorities for this role in the first 90 days?"

2. "How much of the role is firefighting vs. building scalable processes?"

3. "What tools and systems will I be working with? (Salesforce, analytics platforms, etc.)"

4. "How much cross-functional coordination is required vs. heads-down execution?"

5. "What does success look like in this role after one year?"

For Chief of Staff Roles:

1. "What does the CEO (or exec) need most from a Chief of Staff right now?"

2. "Can you walk me through a recent project the Chief of Staff led?"

3. "How much of the role is strategic projects vs. operational coordination?"

4. "What's the relationship like between the Chief of Staff and the leadership team?"

5. "What happened to the last person in this role? (This tells you whether it's a stepping stone or a dead end)"

Real Examples of Consultants Who Chose Wrong (And Why)

Example 1: BCG Consultant Takes Strategy Role, Realizes It's Too Advisory

Background: Michael, BCG Manager, took VP of Strategy role at Series C SaaS company.

What he expected: Deep strategic work, owning execution, seeing his strategies implemented.

What he got: Building board decks, running annual planning processes, making recommendations that got handed off to product and sales. He never owned execution.

Why it didn't work: He wanted to move from consulting because he was tired of handing off recommendations. But Strategy roles are still mostly advisory. He should have targeted BizOps or Chief of Staff if he wanted execution ownership.

He left after 14 months and moved to a Director of Operations role where he could own execution.

Example 2: Deloitte Consultant Takes BizOps Role, Burns Out from Firefighting

Background: Sarah, Deloitte Senior Consultant, took Director of BizOps role at Series B fintech.

What she expected: Mix of strategy and operations, building scalable processes, high-impact work.

What she got: 80% firefighting (sales ops issues, CRM problems, dashboard requests), 20% strategy. Constant context-switching between 8-10 projects. No time for deep strategic thinking.

Why it didn't work: She loved the strategic thinking from consulting and wanted to keep doing it. BizOps roles are mostly tactical operations with some strategy sprinkled in. She should have targeted pure Strategy roles.

She left after 11 months and moved to a VP of Strategy role at a different company.

Example 3: McKinsey Consultant Takes Chief of Staff Role, Realizes It's Too Political

Background: David, McKinsey EM, took Chief of Staff to CEO role at Series C healthcare company.

What he expected: Running strategic initiatives, advising CEO, high-leverage problem-solving.

What he got: 60% coordination (scheduling, note-taking, following up on action items), 30% political navigation (managing leadership team dynamics), 10% strategy.

Why it didn't work: He wanted strategic problem-solving. This Chief of Staff role was mostly coordination and facilitation. He's analytically strong but not naturally political. The role required soft skills he didn't enjoy using.

He left after 9 months and moved to a VP of Strategy role where he could focus on analytical work.

Your Next Move

If you're saying "I'm targeting strategy, operations, or chief of staff roles" and you haven't figured out which one actually fits, here's what to do:

Day 1: Self-Assessment

Answer these questions honestly:

• Do I want to advise or execute?

• Do I want depth on strategic problems or breadth across operational challenges?

• Do I need structure and predictability, or am I comfortable with ambiguity?

• Do I want credit and visibility, or am I comfortable working behind the scenes?

Your answers will point you toward Strategy, BizOps, or Chief of Staff.

Day 2-3: Talk to People in These Roles

Reach out to 3-5 people in your network who have Strategy, BizOps, or Chief of Staff roles. Ask them: "What do you actually do day-to-day? What do you love? What frustrates you?"

Real intel from people in these roles is 10x more valuable than job descriptions.

Day 4-5: Narrow Your Target

Pick the one role type that aligns best with your assessment and the intel you gathered. Update your LinkedIn, your resume, and your outreach to reflect that focus.

Don't say "I'm targeting strategy, operations, or chief of staff roles." Say "I'm targeting VP of Strategy roles at Series B/C companies" or "I'm targeting Director of BizOps roles in fintech."

Specificity will 3x your success rate.

The Unlock

Strategy, BizOps, and Chief of Staff roles all sound appealing to consultants because they involve strategic thinking and cross-functional work.

But they're fundamentally different in what you actually do, who you work with, and what success looks like.

The consultants who land in the right role are the ones who understand these differences before they start interviewing, not after they've been in the job for six months and realized it's not what they wanted.

Take the time to figure out which one actually fits your skillset and what you're optimizing for. It'll save you from taking the wrong role and having to restart your search a year later.